SA's gold mines of death
29/01/2007 19:53  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - The number of fatalities at South African mines were on a general downward trend, said the Department of Minerals and Energy acting chief director Thabo Gazi.

Despite this, high-risk operations saw an increase in deaths at the country's gold mines between 2005 and 2006.

Addressing the National Assembly's minerals and energy committee on Monday Gazi, noted that the minerals sector was the "bedrock" of South Africa's industrialisation.

It contributed 7% directly to the gross domestic product and 15% indirectly and contributed to the employment of some 450 000 workers - said both the gold and platinum mines were "high risk, large, deep and labour intensive".

Altogether 104 of the deaths in 2005/06 had occurred at the gold mines - or 51% of all fatalities, which amounted to 202. The bulk of injuries also occurred on gold mines - some 56% or 2 324 people injured in this time.

Altogether 3 966 people were injured on the mines in 2005/06.

Gold mines employed 155 165 workers to just 35% of workers. In contrast coal mines employed some 12% of workers - or 55 720 workers - and accounted for 8% of fatalities or just 16 deaths in this time.

At platinum mines 49 workers were killed or 24% of fatalities in this time.

But the fatality figures were showing "a steady decline" in terms of the rates per million hours worked, reported Gazi - for platinum, coal and diamond mines.

While gold was up from 0.28 in 2004 to 0.30 in 2005, platinum was down from 0.21 to 0.15, coal down from 0.19 to 0.13, diamonds down from 0.37 to 0.16.

The total for all these sectors was down from 0.25 to 0.21. This was down 16%.

Gazi said that the reason for the higher gold fatalities and injuries were that many of the mines were as much a century old. The improvement of economic conditions came "at the cost of human life".

The department told MPs that it was looking at integrating the various bodies involved in health and safety - including in the department of health, labour and mining. This included the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate.

A bill was being prepared at the moment, which needed to go to Nedlac and then approved by cabinet.